boxofmisfits | Strange Droid

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Strange Droid

When the Stormtroopers returned to the Admonitor, they had a box with them, claiming that they got a good deal on it and thought the Grand Admiral might appreciate it. Opening up the box had revealed a droid, but not like any Thrawn had ever seen. While he'd seen droids within the Empire, none were quite this human looking. The lead Stormtrooper, Commander Balkin, said that he felt Thrawn might appreciate it as an art piece or collector's item. Balkin said that the seller hadn't known what world the droid came from, or what culture made it.

Thrawn accepted the droid and took it back to his office. The droid wasn't like any he'd ever seen before, even after cross-referencing various models dating back to the Clone Wars. He'd even looked at droid models from the Sith Empire and Old Republic, and it matched none there either. The strange synthetic skin was interesting, as Thrawn could see no real reason for it. Perhaps it had covered the unit's entire body once.

Thankfully, Thrawn had figured out which wires went where within the droid, and had found a way to hook it to a battery that would give it enough power until it could recharge itself. After some fiddling, Thrawn managed to boot the droid up.

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"You did mention that you come from a ruined landscape. This painting is not any location in particular. The artist simply imagined what their own would would be like if it ever fell to ruin."

He had sometimes shown Nick paintings of different worlds or landscapes in the hope of helping him recall his homeworld. He'd shown images of jungles, deserts, even a painting of Manaan. Interesting that Nick would find a desolate landscape familiar.

Thrawn turned to another painting, this one of Korriban as it may have looked during the height of the Sith Empire.

"What do you make of this?"

"I did. Worse than that though. From what I can recall."

Of course with how fragmented his memory was it was hard to say for sure. Could be that he had just lived in a particularly rough neighborhood and didn't travel much.

He tilted his head at the other painting, looking at it curiously.

"Well, I don't think it's pleasant that's for sure. Real uniform sense of esthetics. Foreboding I suppose."

"Unfortunately, many worlds have seen disasters or wars that left them in such a state, and thus makes it harder to narrow down where you originally came from."

Even if Nick had no desire to return to his home planet, it was still a curiosity for Thrawn and might tell him more about the droid.

"That is the home world of the original Sith, Korriban. Currently, it is deserted, and is now mainly valued to archeologists, for its many Sith tombs and artifacts. I wondered perhaps if you were Sith-made, but if this does not look familiar to you, then perhaps not."

"Were you trying to?" Nick asked, tilting his head to the side. He would like to know too though had less hope than Thrawn apparently. Mostly he wanted to see if any of the people he remembered were still there. Unlikely though given how long it had been.

Place might not even be a ruin any more.

Could be all nice and verdant and recovered by now.

"Can't say it rings a bell, no."

Not the name of the world or the people.

"My creators were human I think. Nick's memories... Well, he was human too. Don't think the people of my original world ever got past their own moon."

Which did beg the question of how he'd gotten where he had.

"Humans who never became fully spacefaring? Interesting." That would narrow it down more. Perhaps they would have to reach to the farthest edges of the Unknown Region, which was risky as it could catch the attention of the Far Outsiders.

"I like a good mystery, and you are quite mysterious."

"Yeah... Gotta wonder how I ended up this far out."

Maybe some other species had come. Kidnapped him. Though given that he wasn't a person maybe it was more like theft. Maybe he had an original owner out there. Someone who wanted him back. Or at least descendants who did.

"If the mystery leads us back to my creator or an owner, are ya handing me back?"

He felt it was a fair question.

"Perish the thought. You have given me no reason to wish you gone, and had I determined that you were a danger or just subversive to my crew, I would have sent you on your way on the next planet we came across."

Thrawn was glad that Nick was fitting in and wasn't causing trouble, because he liked having the droid around. It was nice to have someone he could have intelligent conversations with.

"I would miss our talks if I got rid of you."

"Not in the garbage then."

Despite how dinged up he was. But Thrawn was a collector and appreciated art and he supposed he counted. He was unique if nothing else. Possibly one of a kind. Couldn't be sure of that really. Maybe plenty of Nick Valentines had been mass produced.

"And. Ah. Well. I guess I'd miss our talks too."

He seemed perhaps a bit flustered. It had been a while since anyone had said they appreciated any part of him. Had he been capable he might have blushed.

"Not in the garbage." Even if Nick were to become permanently deactivated and couldn't be revived, Thrawn wouldn't throw him away. Perhaps he'd have Nick made into artwork, so he would be remembered.

Thrawn idly looked at a sculpture, made of old recycled metal. On the surface, it wasn't anything in particular, just a jumble of scrap, but Thrawn could tell that it was supposed to be a rancor.

"I have even considered making you a part of my investigations unit, to help root out smugglers, pirates, or suspicious activity."

"Well I'd appreciate the work. If you don't mind sending this old antique out there."

If he had a job beyond being Thrawn's conversational partner then there was plenty more risk for damage after all. But he would love to get back to being a detective if he could.

"Though I suppose it's not necessarily a field job."

Even if Nick would like it if it was. Thrawn probably wasn't as down with risking him like that.

"It will be some desk work, because you will be required to make reports, of course. There are spare office rooms where you may work." Star Destroyers tended to have more rooms than they needed, in case they hosted diplomats or other honored guests, or they took on unexpected extra crew.

"However, if you wish, then we can have to do field work as well. You will be given measures to assure your safety, of course." Armor, weapons, even a Stormtrooper guard, if he wanted.

"Suppose I can't complain about having someone watch my back. Can't say I'm entirely used to it but with things being what they are..."

He was an antique and probably frailer than most droids. Most of the ones he'd seen around seemed like they could take quite a few dings before they were destroyed beyond repair but he was probably even more frail than that. He brought his metal hand up and flexed his fingers slightly. More extensive repairs would probably allow him to defend himself better in the field but he would still probably need weapons and armor and a companion along for the ride.

"Desk work is just fine with me too. Thanks to the repairs you did on me when you got me, my memory's better than it used to be."

Meaning that he'd had the time and the bandwidth to learn the written language here.

"We also have a variety of weapons that you may use. Even if you are not a combat droid, you may practice on our shooting range."

He wanted to keep Nick safe, just as he did any of his crew, but also trusted him to be able to take care of himself.

"Think I already know how to shoot but given how long I was deactivated, I suppose a reminder won't hurt. Plus I think the weapons here are different than what I used before I was a museum piece. Ballistics, I think."

Actual bullets seemed to not be used that much here. Maybe guns like that were as much antiques as he was. It was hard to say given that he hadn't been in much combat yet. And half of Thrawn's crew seemed to think of him as aged. And frail too. Happy to bring him some mystery on board to solve, but none besides Thrawn had voiced any desire to see him in the field.

"Better if I don't shoot any of my own parts off by accident."

His tone rose to something more jovial. He was just joking, after all. He probably wouldn't misfire that badly.

"Indeed. Best to make sure that you are prepared before being sent into the field. Preparation is one key to victory."

Thrawn turned to another holographic replica of a piece of art, this one showing an underwater landscape, full of fish and colorful coral.

"You have become important to me, Nick Valentine, and wish for you to be safe."

"You do seem to have a thing for antiques," Nick commented, apparently taking Thrawn seeing him as important as an extension of his thing for art rather than anything else. The thought of being an important person to him didn't even cross his mind given that the world constantly reminded him that he wasn't really a person at all.

"Not as much as your thing for art admittedly," He said, with a tilt of the head.

Turning his curiosity elsewhere then, "So those Sith people... They're gone?"

Had to be if their home world was more important to archaeologists and the like. Could be that they had just abandoned the place but then they probably wouldn't have left a ton of their things behind for others to loot.

"I do like art, and have a certain fondness for antiques, it is true. However, that is not why you interest me." Perhaps it was at first, but since then he'd gotten to know Nick better. It was an odd feeling, completely illogical.

"Yes, they are gone. From my understanding, the Order of the Sith imposed a rule that there could only be two at a time. Thus, all that remains are the ruins of their once vast empire."

"I guess being friendly with droids ain't that strange either," Nick commented since plenty of people seemed to at least be friends with theirs. Didn't stop them from being property rather than people but Nick did appreciate friendship.

"Huh. Sounds brutal. That's the sort of situation where no one wins."

Like no one had won the war on his world. Though he couldn't remember much about the war, much like everything else about the place. Most of it was shrouded in darkness. He didn't think it was he who had intimate knowledge of it though and more the original Nick. He was just there for the aftermath he thought.

It was a strange feeling. Having those memories but so many of them not being his. Felt like almost nothing was truly his own.

"Sadly, plenty of people are not civil towards droids, seeing them as no better than inanimate objects or something to take frustration out of. I understand that my crew has been kind to you, which I am glad for."

If anyone had a problem with Valentine, then Thrawn would see them reprimanded just as he would if Nick were a human crewmate. He wanted to foster an air of civility, for that was how one ran a tight ship.

"Indeed. From what I gather, the justification was that the Sith would have wiped each other out anyway, and that by keeping their numbers to that minimum they would be able to hide from the Jedi. However, it also served as their own destruction. At the moment, there are two known Sith who rule the inner galaxy, and should anything happen to them, the Sith will be gone."

That wasn't to say that there weren't secret Sith out there, or possibly even pockets of Sith in hiding.

"They've been great, yeah."

He'd made friends. And allies. People who came to him if they needed help with tracking something they'd lost down. Most of the crew greeted him when they passed him. A few of them could probably even be called protective. A few of them had said that he reminded them of their grandfather which Nick chose to interpret as a compliment.

Either way he never lacked for people who wanted to talk to him when Thrawn was occupied. Both officers and Stormtroopers had a tendency to track him down when they were off duty to invite him to come sit with them. Or to ask if there was something he needed help with.

"Easier to hide in smaller numbers. Still a damn shame though."

For an entire people to dwindle like that. History and culture being lost but also lives.

"These Jedi were out to get them too then?"

Enemies both outside and within. Sounded messy and complicated.

"Yes. The Jedi were their sworn enemies, often at war with one another. For years, the Jedi thought that the Sith were extinct, not knowing that they were lying in wait. The Sith struck a few decades ago, orchestrating a war that led to the destruction of the Jedi."

There were rumors of Jedi within the galaxy the last time Thrawn had visited, but it hadn't been a priority for him. And then, of course, there were the Emperor's Hands, who identified as neither Jedi nor Sith.

"Lots of loss of life all around then."

It was unfortunate. People were given the gift of speech and still chose violence that ended in eradication. Nick wondered why it was so difficult for people to understand each other and compromise to minimize death. For most people life was so fleeting too.

"Damn shame," He repeated, rubbing at the back of his neck with his good hand.

"How about your people? Sort of can't help but notice that you're as outnumbered here as I am."

As the superior officer too. It had to be lonely. Nick could be invited by the crew on account of being an outsider, but when it came to people who got chummy with Thrawn, he supposed there was just him. Since Thrawn was his owner and allowed for him to speak his mind.

"Yes," Thrawn paused, as if lost in thought. "I was exiled by my people, the Chiss, many years ago, for breaking one of our laws. The Empire found me, and recruited me. I saw an opportunity, and I took it."

Even after all this time, the exile still pained him. He loved his people, he would do anything for them, even if they did not want his help. He would always love them, and everything he did, he did for them.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Thrawn," Nick said, reaching out with his good hand to give his arm a gentle squeeze. Nick couldn't remember where he came from exactly but he was pretty sure he could go back any time he liked. Being separated and exiled from one's people though. That would never stop hurting he imagined.

"Suppose your current situation ain't bad. It's not home though I imagine."

Probably nothing that could make it feel like home though. But he'd certainly made something of himself.

He pulled his hand back, since he doubted Thrawn wanted it to linger. Even his good hand lacked the warmth of the living after all.

Thrawn glanced at their joined hands. Nick's skin felt interesting. It wasn't quite rubber, nor did it feel like real skin. Thrawn's guess that it was silicone-based seemed to be accurate. Thrawn had still yet to figure out why someone would give a mechanical lifeform skin, or go out of their way to make him look human.

"While I often miss home, I have carved a place for myself. There are some Chiss who chose to join the Empire of the Hand, and are loyal to me, though most of them are stationed on various worlds."

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